Yesterday, the European U-19 championship held in Georgia came to an end. Just like in the world U-20 tournament, the England team triumphed. Moreover, this country's players recently only made it to the semifinals of the European U-21 championship, while in the U-17 tournament, they reached the final.
Keith Downing's proteges started their journey in Group B, where they secured all three victories. They defeated Bulgaria 2-0, narrowly beat the Netherlands, and crushed the Germans 4-1.
In the group stage, the English players scored three goals each, with seventeen-year-old Ryan Sessegnon from London's Fulham and twenty-year-old Nottingham Forest striker Ben Brereton finding the net for the team.
In the semifinals against the Czechs, they had to work harder and secured the victory only in extra time, with Lucas Nmecha scoring the decisive goal. However, the Manchester City youngster's goal was a beauty, as he lobbed the ball into the net.
Finally, last night, the English faced the also inexperienced Portuguese team. Things went well from the start in this match - Birmingham's Aston Villa defender Easah Suliman scored early in the second half, followed by a penalty from Mason Mount a few minutes later.
However, in the 56th minute, it was Dujon Sterling who scored an own goal, bringing back the intrigue. Lukas Nmecha once again led the team and sealed the victory in the middle of the second half with a single touch. Therefore, the England youth team adorned themselves with more gold medals.
Final score:
Portugal U-19 1 - 2 England U-19
[0-1] 50' Easah Suliman
[1-1] 56' Dujon Sterling (own goal)
[1-2] 68' Lucas Nmecha
